Document X7M0Q2QwVNQ4Nwv3dzjYwZp2J

V 4- ;,;su3^3 Note to Uenbers; Vv-\ o, Vs. -/ S'1** ?.JX' V7 Here are the Proceedings for the fourth fall meeting of Air Hygiene Fouriation. The bulletin contains important information on the medical, engin eering, legal, labor and public relations aspects of industrial health. Pleaso help us bring this timely material before all interested executives in your organization. Additional copies are available to members free of charge. April, 1940 Air Hygiene Foundation, 0 03 124400 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pa. \ j REPORT ON HEW ENGLAND HEALTH INSTITUTE MEETINGS HELD AT HOTEL BOND, HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT APRIL 17 and 18, 1940 1 The Effect of Various Dusts on the Human Organism, Dr. LeRoy V. Gardner, Director of Saranac Laboratory, Saranac, New York. In Dr. Gardner's discussion on the above subject, he stated that the objective was to reduco injurious dust conditions, and thereby reduce the rate of diseases* To achieve this objective it is necessary to understand the reaction which different dusts have on the human organism, and it must be understood that all dusts have the following four properties: ohcmical and physical particlo size concentration duration of exposure In order to study the chemical and physical properties of dusts, quantitos of sample dusts are injected into animals, in this case rabbits, end thoir change in physical condition carofully studied. Injections of this type toll whether or not the sample used is injurious to health, but it gives no clue as to whether or not absorption through inhalation takos placo or what quantities of tho samplo would be necessary to result in illness. It has been dotorminod that froo silica dust is very harmful and oxtremo care must be takon to koop froc silica dust from the lungs. Silicates, such as garnet, sillimonito and scricito, aro, on tho other hand, inert and are considered irritating end troublosomo but not toxic. Mixtures of puro minerals arc not as injurious as the pure minerals. Mixtures of silica and other substances aro not particularly harmful until the quantity of froc silica is 50 per cent or over. Fibrous substances, as asbestos, cannot be studied by injoction. Concentrations of dust-laden air of over 5 million parts/cu. ft. for silica and 50 million parts/cu. ft. for floor dust arc considered harmful to health. Tho duration of oxposuro to injurious dusts, of courso, depends on tho concentration of dusts being inhaled, but usually it takos years of oxposuro for chronic caso6. In rapid cases whero the porccntago of froo silica is high, illnoss may result in about two yoars. 00311 2* Industrial Dermatitis - Incidenco, cause, end Prevention. Dr. Louis Schwarts, Medical Director U. S. Public Health, National Institute of Health, "Washington, D, C. ' ; f . According to Government statistics shown by Dr. Schwartz, dermatoses of various kinds account for 65 por cent of all occupational diseases. Compen' sation cases resulting from dermatoses represent about 1 per cent of the total cases reported; however, much lost timo is reported and many persons are rondored temporarily non-productivo duo to skin infections. Synthetic resins account for about 7 l/2 por cent of all dermatitis cases. This knowledge should bo of importance to us, tho Raybestos-Uanhattan Company, inasmuch as we handlo quantities of those materials, as well as many irritating solvents and compounds. Rubber gloves should not bo used more than noccssary because they often cause dermatoses from perspiration and from fillors and compounds in the rubber glove itself* Susceptibility to skin diseases is, in general, classed as follows: (a) Negroes, brunottos, and Latins are less apt to bocomo infocted than white persons, blondos, and porsons of othor races, (b) Hairy man are more apt to bo infected than loss hairy mon, (c) Diot has a lot to do with susceptibility to skin . troubles, inasmuch as the foods caton affoct tho F-H, or acid-alkalino, balanco of tho perspiration, (d) A young parson or a new porson at a job is moro apt to develop a dermatitis than an old hand who has built up resistance to infootion, (o) Women aro less apt to have skin infections than men, probably because they arc more particular about their personal cloanlinoss than men are, Alldjn: is a torm used to donotc increased susceptibility to skin infoctionsiipfcllergios arc of two types, inheritod and contact. This letter typo is ^piftuccd in somo persons by repeated oxposurc to some irritant. Allergic persons should bo romovod from contact with the irritant and given jobs olsowherc, Wounds and skin abrasions arc oxccllent places for skin troubles to start and should be taken caro of immediately* The best safoguard against dermatoses is cleanliness of person and surroundings. Where irritants must bo handled, compulsory baths and clothe? changes arc rccommcndod. 0 G 3 13 .3* The Use of Respiratory Protective Equipncnt in the Protection of the WorkerTs Hoaltfw William P. Yant, 3. S., Directory of Research and Development, Mine Safety Appliance Company, Pittsburgh, Penn, ' Respiratory protectivo equipment is dlvidod into two gonoral classes* (a) Eta.orgen.cy _ (b) Non-emcrgcncy The omorgoncy typo of respirator is designed to be used where a person cannot oxist and not become physically harmod for even a very short inter val of time, end is to be used, as the nomo implios, in emergency cases, such as fires, oxplosions, etc* Location of this type of apparatus is im portant, since it may be roachcd and put on quickly in oaso of troublo* Emergency respirators are usually solf-containod and aro not designod to work in easily or long but to servo the user with oxygon or clean air, al though ho may be in a highly toxic or suffocating atmosphere. The group of non-emcrgcncy typos of rospirators aro the kind used for general factory work where it is necossary for a man bi work in atmospheres that might prove harmful to him if ho worked in this exposure over long periods of time, Thoy aro designod to render the air which he breathes clean enough, so that no illness will result from his occupation no matter how long ho works at it * .. - Some non-cmergoncy respirators arc merely cir filters, removing only irritating, solid particlos from the air. In using these rospirators, ccro must be takon to have tho proper respirator for tho typo of dust in the atmosphere. Many of those respirators arc good enough for non-toxic dusts but arc not effective onough against toxics, such as lead, to prevent illness, .. Air containing smoko of finely suspended particles must be clooned through some special typo of filtering or absorption, as well as air con taining vapors and fumos. It is tho problem of manufacturers making this typo of equipment to develop an all-purposo rospirator but, sinco no such rneko of tho nonemergenoy typo is available, it is necossary that each problem bo studied carefullythe propor rospirator usod for tho condition under oonsidern- OnflpF the biggest problems facing manufacturers today in regard to keeping thKr employees well is making the employcos obey instructions. In tho casos which wo aro now discussing, the problem is to make tho em ployees wear tho respirators. In issuing respirators to employees, soiao dofinxte form of procedure should bo followed: (a) Explain to the employee why ho is expectsd to wear protective equipment. . 0 03]4 (b) Teach him to breathe properly in it. It is the natural tendency of persons to fight obstructions to normal breathing, and the reaction is to make j a voluntary action, respiration is increased, and . heart action speeded up. With proper training, a man can breathe involuntarily and easily in a ' respirator, if the respirator is properly designed. (c) Fit tho rospirator to the employee's face, so that ho is comfortable in it. Adjust head straps proporly, so that the mask will fit his face com fortably* . (d) Issue a rospirator to one employee only, never swap or expect men to "take turns" with the same mask, (o) Have "refills" accossiblo to employocs# (f) Insist that foremen and oxecutivos also wear protective devicos when thoy ore inspocting or supervising hazardous jobs, (g) Novor ridicule a man's appearance whon wearing a rospirator; novor ridiculo a man for being afraid if ho is cautious or over-cautious in regard to wearing a respirator. . Engineering Mothods of Occupational Disoaso Control. B. F. Postman, M. E Industrial Hygicno Engineer, Connecticut State Department of Health. Mr. Postman's address served as a very fitting summing-up of tho In dustrial Section of tho Boalth Instituto Mootings. Ho shewed very con clusively how proporly enginoored jobs served to roduco hazardous situations to a minimum. Operations producing oithcr dust or smoko should be hooded and con nected to a fan so that either tho smoke or dust would bo drawn out of the room before it could either get on or bo breathed by tho operator. Mr. Postman showod a number of slldos picturing actual operations both before and ,$fter proper ventilating systems had boon installed. The obstaclo which Mr. Postman's cffico meets in trying to got a menufacfl. to mako a proper installation is the prico of such an installati^ its maintenance, and the cost of hoating the air which is exhausted through tho system. Mr. Postman's argument against this is that by properly engineering thoso installations, by locating properly dosigned suction orifices at tho proper pieces, tho costs can bo cut to a minimum, in many casos to not over present ventilating costs with improper designs. The largest savings effected by proporly oxhausting dust, vapors, and smokos is the reduction in compensation eases. t Properly engineered oxhausing systems havo tho following bearing on tho control of occupational diseases: T (a) Dust and harmful vapors are largely eliminated, thus reducing tho number of disoases cuasod by them as discus sod by Dr. Gardner. (b) The removal of those dusts is conducive to good housekeeping. Operators and Plant arc kept much cleanor, thereby reducing the demititis troubles reported by Dr. Schwartz. (c) By removal of a large portion of dusts end vapors working spaces which arc not rendered entirely froo oro at loast placod in a class where non-emergency types of respirators may be used with pcrfoct safoty to operators* Mth tho exception of Kr. Yent*s talk on Respirators, all of theso addresses wore givon from illustrative slides, which made tho lecturor's points very cloar to tho listeners but also mado neto-taking very difficult. Tho abovo report is, thoroforo, not as comploto as it might possibly bo, but in it 1 havo tried to covor the high spots of each talk* I had tho ploasuro and opportunity of mooting the following men directly connoctcd with this Health Instituto: (a) Dr. A. S. Gray, Director of tho Buronu of Occupational Diseases, Connecticut State Department of Health. (b) Mr. A. L. Coleman, Chief Industrial Hygionist, Conn. State Department cf Health* (c) Dr. LcRoy TJ. Gardner, Director of Saranac Laboratory* (d) Dr, Louis Schwartz, Medical Director of the U. S. Public Health Sorvico. () lr, B. F. Postman, Industrial Hygiene Engineer, Cenn. /to Department of Health. ' J. F. D. Rohrbach 0. H. Cillcy J. H. Matthows General Asbestos & Rubber Company V 0C316